40 Years of GDBA - Bypassing Government Shutdowns and Economic Downturns

Never in GDBA’s 40-year history have we laid off a single employee due to our country’s hard economic realities or government shutdowns.

Cover Photo: Larry Downing/NBC News

I joined GDBA as an entry‐level protector during the Great Recession of 2008 to 2009. I still recall sitting through my graduate school commencement ceremony in May 2009 and hearing all the bad jokes about entering the worst economic climate since the Great Depression.

Between 2008 and 2009, 8.4 million jobs were lost in America — 6.1% of all payroll employment. Even during the early 1980s recession when interest rates were 20%, the employment rate dipped just over 3%.

Today, 800,000 federal government employees are currently either furloughed or working without pay. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of government contractors are without paychecks. We are experiencing the second longest government shutdown in American history.

41,000 FBI, DEA, ATF, and thousands of other law enforcement and correctional officers

54,000 Customs and Border Protection agents and employees

5,000 Forest Service firefighters

There is hope that our federal employees will eventually receive back pay once the president and congress reach an agreement. Yet, the feelings of paralysis for our federal employees – having no control over their pay and career – is not one I envy.

Working in the private sector, specifically at GDBA, I feel more in control of my career. Never in GDBA’s 40‐year history have we laid off a single employee due to our country’s economic hardships or government shutdowns. Every year our firm gets stronger, more resilient, and more auspicious for the future. As a result, our 800‐plus full‐time associates stationed around the world can focus on the security of our clients and not on the security of their employment.

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Ed Hinman is the Director of Security Strategies and Communication at Gavin de Becker & Associates. He joined GDBA after serving eight years as a commissioned officer in the Unites States Marine Corps, leading security operations in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa. Ed is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Role of Firearms in Executive Protection (Part 2)

Role of Firearms in Executive Protection (Part 1)

November 30, 2018 — In Part-One of this Two-Part series on the role of firearms in executive protection, GDBA Senior Vice President, James Hamilton, discusses his personal journey as a Protector and how as a younger FBI Special Agent he incorrectly prioritized firearms in his protection planning.